Erastus b



(No Model.)

B. B. KUNKLE.

SAFETY VALVE AND MUFFLER.

No. 477,945. Patented June 28, 1892.

a, k Q Q Q Q H Q. 3

WITNESSES L- INVENTOI? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERASTUS B. KUNKLE, OF FORT IVAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF ANDIVILLIAM D. BOSTICK, OF SAME PLACE.

SAFETY-VALVE AND MUFFLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 477,945, dated June 28,1892.

Application filed March 26, 1892.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERASTUS l3. KUNKLE, of Fort \Vayne, in the county ofAllen and State of Indiana, have invented a new and ImprovedSafety-Valve and Muflier, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedsafety-valve, combined with a muffler, which is simple and durable inconstruction, permits a ready escape of steam, and is arranged tocompletely mnfl'le the escaping steam to break it up before it reachesthe atmosphere.

The invention consists principally of a semispherieal perforated capformed with a bottom having inlet-ports at or near its outer edge and acurved lip formed on the inside of the cap above the inlet-ports todirect the steam to the middle of the cap.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details andcombinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, andthen pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of the improvement on the line 11 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the improvement onthe line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

The safety-valve on which the improved mufller is applied is similar inconstruction to the one shown and described in the Letters Patent of theUnited States No. 446,757, granted to me February 17, 1891. Thissafetyvalve is provided with a valve-body A, formed near its upper endwith a valve-seat A, on which is seated the seat part B of the cupvalveB, extending into the body A, and held in a lowermost position byhelicoidal springs O, the tension of which is regulated by a screw D,screwing in a hub E, attached to the semispherical cap F at the centerthereof. The semi-spherical cap F is provided in its wall withperforations F, and is also formed with a lower cylindrical extension Fscrewing on a flange A arranged vertically on the valvebodyA on theoutside of the seat A. The hub E is formed at its lower inner end with adisk, forming a bottom G for the semi-spherical cap Serial No. 426,552.No model.)

F. The outer edge of the bottom G does not extend close to the wall ofthe cap F, so that a passageway H is formed between the wall of the capand the edge of the disk or bottom G for the passage of the steampassing between the seats A and B at the time the cup valve B is liftedoff the seat by excessive pressure. The bottom G is formed with adownwardly-extending annular flange G, fitted upon an annular flange Bof the cup-valve l3, as is plainly illustrated in Fig. 1. Directly belowthe annular flange I3 is arranged a ring I, screwing on an interiorthread of the flange A and serving to regulate the steam passing betweenthe seats to the passage-ways ll. In order to form a connection with theinteriorof the cup-valve B, the cylindrical part F of the cap F isformed with inwardly-cxtending lugs F bearing against the outer surfaceof the annular flange G, as will be readily understood by reference toFigs. 1 and 2. In each of the lugs F is bored an aperture F", whichregisters with a corresponding aperture G formed in the flange G. Thusany steam passing into the cup-valve B can readily escape through theregistering apertures G and F" to the outside. Above the passage-way Hand on the inside of the cap F is formed an annular curved lip .I,extending upward and inward above the bottom G, as is plainlyillustratedin the drawings. This lip J serves to guide the steam passing throughthe passage-way H to the center or middle part of the cap Fthat is,toward the hub Fso that the steam is mu ffled in the middle of the capbefore it passes upward and outward through the perforations F in thesemi-spherical wall of the cap F. The hub E is preferably curved upwardand outward in the shape of an inverted cone, as is plainly illustratedin F g. 1. It will be seen that when the cup-valve B is lifted off theseat A by excessive steam-pressure, then the sharp noisily-escapingsteam, after separating the valve-seats A B, is passed through a narrowcontracted passage-Way H until it comes in contact with the annular lipJ, whereupon the steam begins to expand in the cap F, as its course ischanged by the curved annular lip to the center of the cap, and thesharp shrill noise of the steam is completely expanded, m uftled, anddriven up before the steam passes IOO all

upward and through the perforations F in the cap F on its way to theatmosphere. After the steam passes through the perforations the noise isreduced so as to be hardly perceptible.

It is understood that when the steam strikes the annular lip J it isdeflected toward the center of the cap F, and at the same time upward,

so that the steam has sufficient space within the cap to roll up, andthe several currents are mixed, whereby the steam is completely brokenup in small particles, thereby reducing the sharp noise of the steam atthe time it issues through the perforations F. It will further be seenthat by t-heespecial construction of the cap F and bottom G,with itsflange G, a connection is had from the outside with the interior of thecup-valve B, so as to take up all back pressure on the valve. The ring Iis adjusted from the outside, as described in the patent above referredto and partly shown in Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters, Patent- 1. A safety-valve and m nffler provided with v asemi-spherical perforated cap having inlet passage-ways and an annularlip formed on. the inside of the cap above the passage-ways to directthe steam to the middle of the cap,. substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. A safety-valve and muflier provided with g a perforatedsemi-spherical cap formed with a bottom having passage-ways near theedges thereof and an annularcurved lip formed on the inside of the capabove the passage-ways and bottom to direct the steam toward the centerof the cap before it passes upward and through the perforation to theouter air, substantially as shown and described.

3. A safety-valve and muffler comprisinga perforated semi-spherical capformed with an annular curved lip, a hub secured in the middle of thesaid cap, and a disk attached to the said hub and forming a bottom forthe said cap, the said disk forming at its outer edge, with the saidcap, a passage-way for the steam, and the said disk being located belowthe said annular lip, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a safety-valve and muffler, the combination,with a valve-body anda spring-pressed cup-valve held in the said valve-body and formed withan annular flange, a perforated cap secured to the said valve-bod y andformed with an inwardly and upwardly extending curved annular lip, a hubsecuredto the said cap in the center thereof, a disk secured or formedon the lower end of the said hub and forming passage-ways with the saidcap below the said annular lip, and an annular flange extending downwardfrom the said disk and engaging the annular flange of the saidcup-valve, the said flange being formed with apertures registering withapertures in lugs formed on the inside of the said cap, substantially asshown and described.

ERASTUS B. KUN-KLE. Witnesses:

PAUL F. KUHNE, BESSIE RACINE.

